FAIRFAX, Va. --- Sophomore John Sobel amassed 10 kills while the Lees-McRae men's volleyball team fell at George Mason, 14-25, 16-25, 17-25, Friday night in Fairfax, Va.
The Patriots (3-8) enjoyed an impressive performance from Paco Velez, who had 10 kills and seven service aces. The Bobcats (1-8) saw solid play from Drew Blecher (York, Pa.), who dished out 12 assists and had a team-high four digs.
LMC took advantage of one of the few GMU errors in the opening set while trailing 9-8 after a Hunter Stevens attack error.
The Patriots followed with a 16-6 run and swung at a stagger .609 to claim the first set.
Sobel (Holbrook, N.Y.) connected on a kill, giving LMC a 5-4 lead in the second.
Sobel and junior Brady Markle (York, Pa.) helped keep the contest close by combining for a trio of kills while GMU held a slim 14-12 lead.
Velez pestered the Bobcat defense with three aces in the second set, including a pair to give GMU the two sets-to-none advantage.
The Patriots' Graham Gresham powered a 7-0 GMU run in the third, allowing the home squad to take a 20-10 lead.
GMU would stave off a Bobcat rally with consecutive kills from Velez.
LMC's Markle finished with seven kills.
The Bobcats travel to St. Francis (Pa.) Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. for a nonconference match.
- LMC -
